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Hello Forum,Here is a situation: I have met a friend of mine and I want to ask him how he got here (the place where I am right now). If I were to ask him if he has come here on his bike, what should/would the question be- "Did you come on bike?" or "Have you come on bike?" or something else. Thank you and please point out any mistakes in my writing.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

I'd ask Did you come here on your bike?

He's already here, and his trip here is already complete, so I would be thinking of the situation as past.

CJ

Kalpab · Answer

Thank you, I got it. But why not the present perfect?

CalifJim · Answer

Have you come here on your bike? is also possible. It implies some continued relevance for the present moment.

Maybe my choice has to do with the fact that I am an American. We tend to think of events as finished rather quickly after they take place. In this situation, I would be focused on the person and what the person was going to say next, not on the method by which he got here.

On the other hand, if I knew that this person had just bought a new bike, I might be focused on the bike, and I might want to talk about the new bike. I would be wondering if he was now using his new bike. In that case I might be more likely to ask Have you come here on your (new) bike?

The choice depends on what is in the mind of the speaker at the time the question is asked.

CJ

Kalpab · Answer

Thanks a lot. I can see the difference now.<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

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